THE 


subw  bbw&bibo 


" Get  the  out  of  thy  country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father’s  house,  unto  a land  that  I will 
show  thee  : and  I will  make  of  thee  a great  nation,  and  I will  bless  thee  and  make  thy  name  great.” . 

Gen  xii.  1,  % 


BY  AN  AMERICAN  CITIZEN. 


Neto  : 

PRINTED  BY  WILLIAM  STOKER,  JtJN. 

No.  9 Glebe  Building. 

1840. 


[ Price  12|  Cents .] 


3 l 637  3 

hi  A-| 


v. 


4—  ^ 

o : 

TO  THE  REV.  CLERGY  OF  NORTH  AMERICA, 
THIS  PAMPHLET 

I S RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


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THE  NEW  SETTLER. 


The  age  in  which  we  live  seems  to  be  character- 
ized as  an  age  of  colonization.  The  study  of  geogra- 
phy has  been  much  attended  to  of  late  years.  The 
size  of  the  globe  has  been  ascertained.  The  propor- 
tions of  land  and  water  which  cover  its  surface,  and 
their  various  positions,  are  now  generally  known. 
The  capability  of  this  globe  to  sustain  inhabitants,  in 
all  its  various  climates,  is  becoming  daily  more  devel- 
oped. The  new  system  of  government  has  substitut- 
ed peace  and  plenty  for  war  and  famine. 

Those  who  have  attended  to  the  study  of  geogra- 
phy have  ascertained  that  a large  portion  of  the  earth 
remains  yet  uncultivated.  Hence  the  desire  to  en- 
courage colonization.  Those  who  are  enjoying  hap- 

r 


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piness  are  desirous  that  others  may  be  happy  also. 
The  tendency  of  population  is  to  concentrate  in  large 
cities,  where  they  must  necessarily  depend  upon  one 
another.  The  wittiest  over-reach  the  simple,  and 
take  from  them  the  means  of  living.  Poverty  and 
crime  and  suffering  ensue.  Hence  the  necessity  of 
large  annual  contributions  to  supply  the  necessities  of 
the  poor;  and  various  systems  have  been  devised  to 
ameliorate  their  condition,  few  of  which  outlive  their 
generation.  The  system  which  our  fathers  establish- 
ed when  they  fled  from  the  persecution  of  the  old 
world,  was  based  upon  the  principles  of  our  holy  reli- 
gion, and  supported  by  equality  of  rights  and  equality 
of  responsibilities.  This  system  is  capable  of  extent 
commensurate  with  the  globe. 

An  ingenious  calculator  has  estimated  that  this 
globe  is  capable  of  nourishing  320  hundred  millions 
of  inhabitants,  and  the  present  population  is  estimated 
at  8 hundred  millions ; so  it  appears  there  is  ample 
room  for  the  increase  of  the  human  race. 

When  the  vast  extent  of  America  is  taken  into 
view,  (and  the  small  extent  of  population.)  where  the 
Christian  religion  may  be  planted,  and  its  capability  of 
supporting  many  millions  of  inhabitants;  who  does 
not  wish  to  see  the  Christian  religion  planted  and 
nourished,  and  democratic  liberty  made  the  foundation 


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of  civil  government  in  all  these  vast  regions?  It  be- 
hooves every  man  on  this  continent  to  do  something 
towards  colonizing  this  vast  region  with  intelligent  be- 
ings, who  will  carry  with  them  the  arts  and  sciences 
of  civilized  life,  the  principles  of  free  government,  and, 
above  all,  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  gospel. 

To  make  the  contributions  of  each  person  effectual, 
it  is  necessary  to  proceed  upon  a system,  feasible  in  it- 
self, easily  to  be  accomplished,  and  permanent  in  its 
operation. 

The  churches  of  America  are  peculiarly  fitted  for 
carrying  this  system  into  execution,  extend  their  own 
usefulness,  and  be  an  additional  means  of  diffusing 
happiness  to  mankind. 

Let  a congregation  purchase  a section  of  govern- 
ment land,  and  establish  a society  of  their  own  upon 
it.  The  section  contains  six  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
and  costs  eight  hundred  dollars.  Divide  it  into  forty- 
eight  parts,  like  the  plan  annexed.  This  will  accom- 
modate forty-eight  families  with  thirteen  acres  each, 
which  at  two  dollars  per  acre,  will  refund  the  money 
to  the  congregation. 

It  will  not  be  a great  effort  for  a society  to  assist 
forty-eight  families  to  remove  to  a new  settlement — 
families  who  are  worthy  members  of  society,  but  who 


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have  here  no  means  of  procuring*  an  independent  liv- 
ing. Each  church  will  act  independently  within  it- 
self, and  the  society  which  is  established  will  be  the 
object  of  its  care  ; so  that  if  only  one  religious  society 
undertakes  to  establish  a colony,  it  will  be  perfect 
within  itself. 

The  church  will  receive  donations  for  this  object, 
and  many  will  contribute  for  love  of  liberty,  and  their 
desire  to  see  the  cause  of  human  rights  extended. 
Many  will  contribute  from  a holy  zeal  to  spread  the 
true  religion.  The  rich  man  will  contribute,  because 
it  places  the  poor  man  in  a situation  to  help  himself. 
The  poor  man  will  throw  in  his  mite,  because  it  will 
be  a means  of  making  his  fellow  laborer  happy. 

Many  a wealthy  individual  will  give  something  to 
the  new  town,  if  it  may  be  called  after  his  own  name, 
thus  handing  down  his  name  to  posterity  in  the  early 
records  of  the  place.  The  government  will  encour- 
age the  settlements,  because  it  derives  a revenue  from 
the  sale  of  the  public  lands. 

Suppose  there  are  twenty  thousand  churches  in  the 
United  States,  each  of  which  will  undertake  to  plant 
a colony.  Here  is  provision  made  for  nine  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand  families,  all  instructed  in  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  all  practical  missionaries. 


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> 


A community  should  consist  of  a clergyman,  and 
such  artisans  and  mechanics  as  can  prepare  the  things 
necessary  for  a civilized  life — a physician — store  keep- 
er— farmers — laborers,  and  others,  to  make  up  the 
number  required. 

To  produce  the  forty-eight  divisions,  the  section  is 
divided  into  twelve  parts  of  four  hundred  and  forty 
feet,  parallel  to  each  other,  and  crossed  at  right  angles 
with  a street  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet — thirty 
feet  each  side  to  be  used  as  a public  highway,  and  six- 
ty feet  in  the  center  to  be  reserved  for  public  squares, 
for  the  location  of  the  church,  school-house,  and  other 
public  buildings.  At  right  angles  from  the  main 
street,  are  twelve  streets  of  forty  feet  each,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  four  hundred  feet  from  each  other — thus  di- 
viding the  section  into  twenty-four  blocks  of  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  front  and  twenty-six  hundred  and 
forty  feet  deep,  half  the  streets  inclusive,  and  contain- 
ing each  twenty-six  acres  and  two-thirds.  Each  block 
is  divided  length-wise  into  two  equal  parts,  so  that 
one  block  will  support  two  families,  and  give  free  ac- 
cess to  the  premises  on  the  side  and  front. 

The  section  may  be  subdivided,  by  running  streets 
parallel  with  the  main  street,  (if  the  location  should 
be  found  favorable  for  business,)  into  one  hundred  and 
forty-four  squares  of  four  hundred  feet,  containing 


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« 


three  and  two-thirds  acres  each,  exclusive  of  streets  ; 
but  this  must  be  for  the  advantage  of  the  original  set- 
tlers, as  their  business  or  occasion  may  require. 

That  the  produce  of  thirteen  and  one-third  acres  is 
fully  sufficient  to  support  a family  of  five  or  six  per- 
sons, may  be  easily  demonstrated.  If  planted  with 
potatoes,  it  will  produce  from  one  thousand  to  fifteen 
hundred  bushels  ; with  wheat,  corn,  rye,  barley,  <fcc. 
from  two  to  five  hundred  bushels  : and  various  garden 
vegetables  will  be  in  proportion.  It  has  been  well  as- 
certained that  one  peck  of  corn,  or  one  bushel  of  po- 
tatoes, will  support  a man  a week  : here  then  is  suffi- 
cient produce  from  the  thirteen  acres,  to  support  a fam- 
ily in  plenty  and  to  spare — independently  of  any  earn- 
ings from  the  trades  or  professions  of  the  inhabitants. 
But  it  is  not  supposed  that  the  emigrants  will  be  con- 
tented with  a mere  subsistence.  The  resources  of 
the  country  will  be  developed,  and  the  hidden  riches 
of  the  earth  will  be  brought  to  light ; and  the  poor 
adventurers  of  to-day  may  be  the  rich  proprietors  of 
to-morrow. 

Therefore,  those  who  are  desirous  of  alleviating 
the  miseries  of  the  human  race,  and  aid  in  advanc- 
ing their  eternal  interests,  are  respectfully  invited  to 
give  such  aid  as  circumstances  permit. 


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PLAN  OF  THE  TOWN. 


